Hot Rods Ribbed Firestones - Coker vs. Speedway?

Not sure if the pictures copied from the Rolling Bones site, but what is the deal with the little Coker tires? I know Corky is friend of the site and I plan to talk to them at Hershey about these "issues". I'm getting nervous about it.

Below copied from the latest update on the R.B. cross country trip.


ALMOST NEW COKER 450 X 16 TIRES , AREN’T THEY JUST THE BEST !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AND WHEN YOU CALL THEY " ALWAYS" HAVE THE SAME ANSWER: “GEE, I NEVER HEARD OF THAT HAPPENING TO ONE OF OUR TIRES, SEND IT BACK AND WE WE'LL REPLACE IT RIGHT AWAY." GEE, I WONDER IF THEY REPLACE THEM WITH THE SAME TIRES THAT SOMEONE SENDS BACK BECAUSE THEY AREN’T HAPPY WITH THE ONES THEY HAVE EITHER?

 

I called Coker yesterday to order new tires for my 32 roadster, finally putting it together. All I need is a 32 spring if anyone has one. I had to give mine to a friend a couple months ago.

I tried to buy regular old Firestone pie crust bias plys.... they don't have anymore in size 18". Therefore I had to order Excelsior tires so I could have some matching tires....ouch. I really couldn't afford the Firestones right now.

They also told me that they discontinued the old Bias ply piecrust tire we all like??? They replaced it with a bias ply without the pie crust and a funny rounded over tread. Looks totally gay. I don't know what going on over there.... love to here something from Corky.

I'm running these old dirt trackers on this coupe... cars flies... Just took a two hour ride to NYC and my tires were great. The are relics though... Car is for sale too.

 

My hopping is at 60-65 and goes away. And smoother up to that speed.
If you went to 70, with out a problem, you'll be good, I think

 

My car is equipped with a seat-o-the pants speedometer, and based on my p***ing a lot of people on the highway I'd say I got well over 65 today. No problems, zero bouncing or vibrations.

FYI...

There was a thread a while ago on bead balancing.....bunch of tiny little beads made from whatever (plastic?) inside the tire. You just pour them in through the air valve tube.....I was skeptical before but wanted to try it because I hate the looks of wheel weights. I'm here to say that since I put the beads in the tires about 6 months ago, I have had zero issues with balance or vibrations or wobbles or anything. That **** works....

 

I've worked at Michelin for 16 years and have never heard of "beads". Tell us more

 

Found it...

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=247337&highlight=tire+balancing

 

Let me clear this up.

Coker Tire has the excusive right to Firestone Dirt Track tires. If you bought them in the last 5 years, they are from us.

In the beginning Firestone was very concerned about Coker building a vintage race tire and in order to get it cleared they required us to print on the tire “For Display Purposes Only”. The thought was that this requirement would make it clear this was not a race tire. However, after a couple years of production Firestone relaxed their restriction and allow us to remove the “For Display Purposes Only” lettering.

Some of you state you have tires that are out of round? Have you called us? If you have a tire that you think is out of round we’ll be more than happy to issue you a Return number and get the tire back for inspection.

Thanks,

Jess

Coker Tire
Sales and Customer Service Manager
1-800-251-6336

 

Are these tires "off highway" use only or are they DOT now? The current edition of the Coker catalog I grabbed at Carlisle last week does not make it clear. I love the look of the dirt track tires. Especially the 8.90-16 rears.

 

So did the tires I just bought from Speedway come from you? Or is Speedway getting them somewhere else or making their own?

 

You are absolutely correct on all points.....

 

Very popular with the 4 x 4 crowd and rockcrawlers. The guys that try to run insanely tall offroad tires on the street. As mentioned, as the tires are mouted, plastic beads of a predetermined size are inserted and sealed inside the tire, they seem to congregate internally where the unbalance is and cancels it out. Neat idea, it really works....

 

Jess answered that in the first sentence of his response to you. They own the rights exclusively, also, if you got them in the last 5 years, they came from Coker either directly or indirectly.......

 

Easy "dude". There have been people in this thread saying otherwise in kind of a factual sort of way, and I was looking for an absolute yes or no. I guess I'll take that as a yes then.

It wouldn't have been the first time Speedway sold a knock off of someone else's product.

 

It wouldn't have been the first time Speedway sold a knock off of someone else's product.[/quote]


Boy, you got that right! Just ask Vic Edelbrock, Patrick's, and im sure the list goes on for eternity.....


Wasn't trying to be gruff in an earlier response, was running late for work, and tried to not use 20 words, when 10 would say the same thing. Looking back at the wording myself, I see how you could have seen it in that light, my apologies if you felt that....

 

Brian , how did you get so savy on tires lol

"Doc" Parsons

 

Ok, so we've cleared up the 'display purposes' thing, how about DOT approval?
Is there any, especially moulded on the sidewalls?
And are Coker and Speedway's one and the same?

 

My 5.00-16 ribbed Firestones are DOT approved, and they say tubeless on the sidewalls. They are smooth as gl***. I bought them from Speedway, I don't know if they are Cokers or not. I also bought the 8.20-15 Firestone dirt track tires that are DOT and tubeless, there is a vibration on one of them.

 

Thanks!

 

ok so are these tires tubeless because everything thats i have seen suggest that they need tubes

 

From my limited tire knowledge, tubeless tires are manufactured with a different kind of rubber for the inner most layer, it is more impervious to air leaking thru it. Older tube types have a different matrerial for that inside layer.

But if you use a Tubeless tire on a rivited wheel center, or a spoke wheel, a tube might be needed to stop air leaks thru the rim. A modern welded wheel is right for tubeless tires.

 

ok i called coker tires. the tch guy told me that the 15 inch tires do not need tubes but the 16 inchers do. so problem solved for me anyways

 

One step closer. Did he answer the "how come?" question? I would ***ume they're manufactured the same...or are they?

 

yes he did he said that they sell the tires to speedway for 384 dollars. so they are the same tire

 

I mean how come 15's are tubeless and 16's need tubes.

 

oh didnt ask that question lol. i got the answer i needed then said ok an hung up

 

I finally got a set of dirts for my roadster after watching the prices go up since they first became available. The 500-15 ribbed fronts are now tubeless and DOT approved and tubes are not needed. Coker corrected their website yesterday after I called and questioned why I had to use a tube as their web site indicated. The rears (890-16) are still "for display only" and need a tube. I'm sure that the tube is needeed because of sidewall seapage of air, although as heavy as the sidewalls are on these, I may try them without a tube since the tubes they sent won't fit the the valve stem holes in my wheels.

 

My front 16's I just got are tubeless.

 

i am ordering my set of 820-15s on monday and i am excited!!!! i hope that they are truly tubeless

 

I just saw this thread and it asks some good questions and provides some good information.

I did want to point out that Jess H. from Coker came on here and offered information and offered help to those of you that said you had problems.
Great to see nowadays and I wanted to point that out. Thanks Jess.

 

Any updates on the ribbed front tires.....had some that bounced down the road MANY years ago.....might want to try them again, if they are now good to go. They sure look great!